


Guess who's coming to dinner?

by filthycasualsmark (exalteranima)



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Community: wrestlingkink, First Dates, Jack in a rare moment of ungentlemanly idiocy, Love/Hate, M/M, Pre-Slash, except Daivari doesn't know it's a date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 04:31:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9418874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exalteranima/pseuds/filthycasualsmark
Summary: They were supposed to be having a quiet truce dinner before their I Forfeit match. The restaurant was Gallagher's idea.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Minifill inspired by [this wrestlingkink2 prompt](http://wrestlingkink2.dreamwidth.org/423.html?thread=13223#cmt13223)... I don't know, it just happened.

"Good evening, sir, how may I help you?" The hostess smiled.

"Uh... reservation under a Jack Gallagher?" Ariya made sure to pronounce the _h_ in Gallagher very clearly. "Pale British guy, nice suit, goofy mustache?"

"Table for two?"

"Y-yes?"

"Right this way, sir."

Ariya fiddled with his shirt collar some more. He knew the necktie was too damn tight. The hostess led him to the back section of the restaurant and– oh, Jack was already there, waving him over and smiling as he pocketed a silk handkerchief. Of course he was.

"Our waiter will be with you shortly to take your order," the hostess said as Ariya took his seat.

"Thank you so much, my dear," Jack smiled. Ariya could've sworn he saw the woman blush a little as she walked away. "I hope you don't mind, I already took the liberty of ordering us a wine."

"Really, man?" Ariya huffed. "You just called some random woman doing her job 'my dear.'"

"I was just being nice. And you made it perfectly clear you wanted no affectations whatsoever flung in your direction."

"Listen, can we shut up and eat?" Ariya angrily picked up his menu and opened at a random page. "I'm really starving, the traffic from the arena was ridiculous and I wanna get back to the hotel soon so I can leave early tomorrow."

"If I may make a suggestion, Mr. Daivari," Jack interjected, "I hear the spinach and truffle oil gnocchi here is quite good. Yes, I checked, it's halal."

"Uh... thanks." Ariya refused to mention he was indeed mulling over the gnocchi.

Their waiter came by with a steel ice bucket and some kind of white wine, pouring it in both their glasses with a flourish before leaving with their meal orders.

"What's this supposed to be now?" Ariya lifted his glass and raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

"Muscadet. Not my favorite vintage, but it's lovely all the same." Jack clinked glasses with Ariya. "Cheers."

Their food arrived, and the two men mostly ate in awkward silence as soft harpsichord music played. Ariya kept his head low, paranoid that Neville or Kendrick was gonna show up any minute and see him in a fancy restaurant with the guy who hit him in the head with an umbrella last week. Jack meanwhile maintained his usual straight posture as he savored his eggplant risotto, the occasional satisfied moan distracting Ariya from his thoughts.

"Okay, I've never had gnocchi with Muscadet before," Ariya admitted as the waiter cleared their plates.

"It's an unorthodox pairing, I'll confess." Jack fiddled with his cuff links as he made eye contact with Ariya. "Let's just say I was feeling... _frisky_  tonight."

Jack seemed to wince at his own bad joke, and Ariya gaped at the slight crack in the other man's facade. Ariya _knew_ what Gallagher was like when he was being a cocky little shit, and this was nothing like that. Something about his expression seemed off; he wasn't effusive with charm and British smugness like usual. He was also much quieter; by now he should be launching into some fifteen-minute paean about banned MMA submission holds or vintage mechanical watches or some other crap. There was a slight tremble in Jack's arm as he reached for the wine bottle to refill his glass.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

"Right." Jack cleared his throat as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Mr. Daivari, I realize the circumstances of our acquaintance are a tad peculiar–"

"What, the biggest wrestling company in the world literally paying us to beat each other up with no championship on the line?"

"What I'm saying," Jack continued, "is that I do not wish for our enmity to persist long after this little tiff between us has run its course. I have no intention of holding back in our 'I Forfeit' match next week–"

"Hey, me neither man," Ariya agreed. "I fully intend to beat you all the way into WrestleMania weekend."

"–but beyond that I would prefer us having a more cordial relationship." Jack clasped his hands on the tabletop and leaned forward, never breaking eye contact with Ariya. "Mr. Daivari, we're going to be the pillars of this new cruiserweight division going forward, that is no small thing. And whichever of us challenges for that belt first, I would like there to be no hard feelings between us. After this feud I would like us to try being  _friends_ , for a change." 

"This is not how you hang out with friends!" Ariya blurted out, perhaps a bit too loudly if the waiter's stunned expression two tables over was any indicator. 

"Yes, I've... rather misfired on this one, haven't I?" Jack leaned back into his chair and sighed with resignation. He raised his hand to signal the waiter for the check. "I suppose you won't be wanting dessert after this."

Jack seemed to shrink into himself, his shoulders slumped and his hands retreating back to his lap. Ariya suddenly felt like he'd just kicked a puppy. He buried his face in his hands and swore in rapid Farsi under his breath before he spoke.

"Listen, you weirdo," Ariya called Jack out of his funk. "If we're gonna be friends, we're gonna do this right. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. We spot each other in the gym, pitch in on car rentals, back each other up in Creative. Maybe we'll even tag-team once in a while."

Jack's face lit back up at the last suggestion. "Really?"

"Yeah. But not until after next week, I still gotta kick your ass." Ariya finished off the last of his Muscadet. "And next time, I pick the restaurant."

**Author's Note:**

> *nervous laughter* I have no idea how wine pairings work!


End file.
